Queen Victoria died in 1901 and was succeeded by her son, Bertie, who became Edward VII. He married Princess Alexandra of Denmark who became queen consort.
Bertie never measured up to his father in his mother’s opinion, and was a constant source of disappointment for Victoria, but made a quite capable monarch. If his reign had been longer, I think he would be remembered as an excellent king.
They had 3 sons, and 3 daughters. The oldest and youngest died before Queen Victoria leaving Prince George as the only male heir.
Upon the death of Edward VII in 1910, George, Prince of Wales became George V. He had married Princess Mae of Teck, who had been engaged to his older brother, Albert Victor, before he died. She became queen consort, as Queen Mary. They were both quite shy, but very dedicated to the country. Duty was paramount.
George V was the second and last monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He was concerned that the family not look “too German,” in the midst of the First World War, so he changed the house and family name to Windsor in 1917 in an attempt to instigate national amnesia. The rebranding did work however, as The House of Windsor is still running the show today.
George and Mary had a daughter and 5 sons. The youngest died in childhood, but the oldest 2 became kings in their turns.
1936 was called the, “Year of three kings.” With the death of George V, his eldest son, David, Prince of Wales became Edward VIII - for about 10 months. Sadly, George V knew that it was Prince Albert, not Prince David, who was the hope of the nation and wrote in his journal that David would “ruin himself within a year,” of becoming king - which was exactly what happened. He was selfish, arrogant, and in love with an altogether unsuitable woman, Wallis Warfield Spencer Simpson.
It was made clear to Edward VIII that Wallis would never be accepted as queen consort and the only way he would be able to marry her would be to abdicate, which he promptly did. Personally, I don’t think Wallis wanted Edward/David as much as she wanted to be queen, but she was trapped. I mean, you don’t dump a guy after he gives up the crown for you. They were married and given the titles Duke and Duchess of Windsor (a title someone completely made up, by the way.) Anyway, they remained married until 1972 when he died, and don’t they look happy about it?
The abdication actually turned out to be the best thing that could have happened given what we now know about Edward’s pro-Hitler leanings. It meant his brother Prince Albert, Duke of York was going to have to step up and save the monarchy. In December, 1936 he and the Duchess of York (formerly Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon) became King George VI and his consort Queen Elizabeth - later the Queen Mother.
Together they saw the country through another world war. They truly loved each other, and had two daughters, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. “We four,” as the King liked to call his family, meant everything.
Like his grandfather, George VI had the makings of a truly great king, but what he did not have was longevity. Tragically, his job took a lot from him, including his health. He was a heavy smoker which, along with the stress of the war and the economy that followed, contributed to an early death.
Princess Elizabeth married another great, great grandchild of Queen Victoria, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in 1947. After renouncing his claim to the Greek throne, Philip became a British citizen, and just before their wedding, was given the titles Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich.
George VI died in February, 1952. For the first time since Queen Victoria there was a new Queen Regnant. Elizabeth II has gone on to become the longest reigning monarch her country has ever seen. She and Philip have now been married more than 70 years, with four children, 8 grandchildren, and 8 great grandchildren. In a speech in 1997, after 50 years of marriage, the Queen said of Philip, “He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.”
If all goes according to plan, the Queen will one day be succeeded by her son Charles, the Prince of Wales. He, in turn, will be followed by his son, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, who will then be followed by his son Prince George. Barring something disastrous, the monarchy is safe for a good long while.
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